Motherhood should be listed as a mental illness

For Kristy

This is for Kristy, my wonderful friend who recently made a list of all the bad things that come with pregnancy and kids because she had uterus throbbing for one. Everyone knows that it sucks at times, lots of times actually but you have to remember this:
1. Knowing that you have a life growing inside you. It's powerful.
2. Feeling it move for the first time. Sure, you wonder if it's gas and it probably is.
3. The time that you feel it move for the first time and you know that you're really feeling it.
4. Not everyone gets morning sickness.
5. Stretch marks fade in to silver lines that you have to be pretty close to see. I still wear a bikini(ok, the a tankini) and I wear my stretch marks as a badge of courage!
6. Episiotomy. Ok you've got me there. They suck, but it's part of it, you get over it. After a couple days they stop hurting.
7. There are some things that come with pregnancy that just sound worse than they actually are. Mucus plugs and linea negra for example.
8. Don't worry about breastfeeding. It's scary. It can be really easy or you can have a crap time like I did, but I got help and it was SO worth it. My kids have NEVER been on antibiotics(knock on wood). When you go somewhere you don't have to carry all the extra bottle stuff. That's a good thing because you have so much other crap to carry. I won't lie to you, your boobs will never be the same, but it's like the stretch marks, you get over it. FYI- I have never squirted milk when someone else's baby cried.
9. There will be poop and there will be pee. It sucks. BUT both of my babies first smiles were while I was talking to them while changing their diaper.
10. Patton has never peed in my mouth or on any other part of my face. I just lay something over his little peter and it's all good.
11. Poop, pee, vomit(I have no stomach for any of it and try to avoid at all costs), spitup(different than vomit, trust me)and snot. It really is different when it's your kid. No matter how much you love someone else's kid, it's not the same. The same goes for crying.
12. The snot sucker. They don't work that well anyway.
13. As for being selfish. It's just something that changes, I was the same way.
14. Sleeping. You've got me there, I hear that there are babies that sleep through the night, mine don't. I look forward to it soon.
15. Here's the thing about restaurants and travel. Get them used to it, teach them to be part of your life. My kids sit quietly in restaurants and if they don't we leave. They have been to wineries, on planes(without crying) and on long car trips and to baseball games. They are like this because we include them.
16. Travel fund vs. College fund. Get a good financial planner, it just so happens that I know one.
So this is where I have to end this, mostly because nap time is over. There is so much more that I could say, reread January 27. It says a lot. Don't short change yourself because once upon a time you said you didn't want kids. It's not against the law to change your mind and don't feel guilty if you do. Remember that by the time you decide to have kids it might be too late. Do it while you're young enough to enjoy it. BUT don't do it on a whim or to make others happy. Do it because it's what you and TJ want.

posted by Cathy @ 10:11 AM